31 January 2014

30 January 2014

Anyone who has watched American Chopper knows that a bike can be made to look like a representation of pretty much anything; a fire engine, the Statue Of Liberty, a helicopter. But to make a bike look almost like the object it's meant to be, just with two wheels added AND look good doing it; thats a master stroke.
The beautiful two-wheeled beast here was created as a tribute to the legendary car company Jaguar, by a die hard Jaguar fan from the comfort of his own garage. Designed by the artist Barend Hemmes and built by Massow Concept Cycles, the Jaguar Nightshadow Bike is a 1200cc one-off based on the jaguar's famous Leaper bonnet mascot. News about the Jaguar Motorcycle leaked ou way back in 2008, but now it has been completed, photographed and captured on video. The Nightshadow bike is perfectly street legal, something that must stop traffic in its tracks when out and about.
The bike’s frame is made of 4130 stainless steel and finished in high glossy ebony lacquer. The big cat is powered by the Buell 97 S3 Thunderbolt V-twin, with a top speed which is of about 50mph; dues to the 'interesting' aerodynamics. More time for passers-by to admire the looks and the stingray skin seats; jafuar skin would surely have been a more fitting choice, but of course theres the drawback of it bing completely illegal, immoral and just downright wrong, old chap. The bike is for sale, priced at £320,000 (about $567,000), and Hemmes is currently in talks with Jaguar about using the motorcycle for branding purposes.
The engine no doubt has a soothing purr, but will superior cat-like reflexes be needed to handle this magnificent beast; it appears that it will be difficult to see the road ahead of us over the bodywork. Whether you like it or you hate it, you have got to be impressed by the workmanship. And as it turns out, the builders of the bike were so pleased with their creation that Hemmes is currently working on a new concept, a bull shaped motorcycle that the Red Bull Energy drink lovers would certainly love.

29 January 2014

27 January 2014

It may look like just another boy racer Civic, but the approach to how it puts the power down to Mother earth is decidedly grown-up.
This EH2 Civic has over 600bhp under the bonnet from a Precision 6262 T4 turbocharged engine, a combination of Honda K24A block and K20A2 head, plus the right components to justify that turbo. Surely a recipe for smoky burnouts all the way down the 1/4 mile right? Wrong. BC Performance Nevada have fabricated a 4WD drivetrain using a CRV gearbox, diff and rear driveshafts plus a host of other trick parts to ensure that not one pony emanating from the engine is wasted.
I have to be honest and say I was never too big a fan of the EH2, or indeed a lot of the tuning ideas that have been applied to them over the years. This one however, is more in keeping with the ethos in which I'd build one.
More here; and more about BC performance here.

- Amazosan

Since the article was written the car has gone faster; 9.268 @ 152mph. Holy Japanese quattro! It might have been the loser on the day, but thats still giant-killing performance.

Sydney Allard with a finger in his ear on the pit wall behind the no.2 Allard J2, driven by Peter Reece and Alfred Hitchings. His ears are undoubtedly ringing a little from the glorious noise of the J2's 5.4 litre Cadillac V8 engine on full chat on the Mulsanne Straight. The car retired with engine failure.

24 January 2014

More Rover 800 goodies for all of you fans, hot from the storage bunkers at Amazo Towers. We showed you this lovely R17 a while back, now its the turn of the original 800 in the Amazo Effect spotlight. These scans are from a supplement tha came with the October 24th 1987 issue of Motor magazine, to showcase just what a great car the 800 was at launch. A vital one to Austin Rover too; it paved the way for a whole range of new Rovers and the revival of the brand as a whole over the next five years. The supplement is a pretty good read if you're in the mood; best make a cuppa though as its 24 pages...
From here.

22 January 2014

The Elegance at Hershey is a charity event showcasing antique and vintage cars to raise awareness and funds in support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), the AACA (Antique Automobile Club of America) Museum and the AACA Library & Research Center (sic). The event combines sportscars and racing cars with stunning examples of the world's finest vintage cars. This unique show in a garden party setting brings together more than 60 of the world’s rarest classic cars from all eras displayed through the formal gardens behind The Hotel Hershey. In the tradition of European Concours d'Elegance (of whch pebble Beach is an example). the event is a judged show field.
The Grand Ascent is a VSCCA (Vintage Sports Car Club of America) sanctioned hill climb exhibition, where drivers pilot these great vintage race cars up the historic back road to The Hotel Hershey. Modelled on similar events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed and paying homage to long standing events such as Mount Equinox, The Grand Ascent relives the excitement of race cars storming up hill to test the mettle of the driver and the machine.
Photos from 2011 & 2013 by Jonathan P. Nelson, James P. Butler, Spherical Harmony and Patrick Cain.